Escape to Pandora
by Montayva
Summary: Another weird dream of mine. Probably hard to follow or understand unless you are a member of the gearbox forums
1. Chapter 1

Kitty

The air was thick with humidity. The young woman rubbed her eyes groggily as she sat up in the dirty single bunk. She leaned on her left arm to steady herself, her right hand coming up to cover her mouth as she yawned. She blinked repeatedly, taking in the surrounds of the dimly lit room. A few paces across, and there was another set of bunks, just as grimy as the ones she was sitting on. At the end of the bunks, were two lockers, one knocked slightly askew. The door to the small room was closed, but the shutters beside the only entry were slightly open.

Something wasn't right.

"What the fuck?" She whispered, realising that she wasn't in her own bed. Her own room. Her own house! "This cannot be happening..."

The young woman then stood, flexing her limbs as she did so. "I feel ok" she said to no one in particular. She looked down at her clothes. Yep, they were still her own clothes. Was she dreaming? She shook her head, eyes clenched shut. But when she opened them, she was still in the same grimy room. Someone's idea of a sick joke perhaps? She scuffed the concrete floor with her black leather boots. Seemed real enough.  
She sat back down on the edge of the bed as realisation washed over her like a cold bucket of water. Was this... _Pandora_? She stood again, taking a deep breath, trying to steady herself and calm her racing mind. Only one way to find out for sure. She flicked her long red hair back over her shoulders, and stepped forward. She reached out, touching the cold steel of the tall lockers. Taking the handle, she yanked it open. She smiled as the contents was revealed. A hand gun. A dark red pistol, emitting a soft white glow.

"Hmph, a Ladyfinger" she reached out and took the weapon. No sooner had her finger tips touched it, and the illuminating white light disappeared. "No shit!" She chuckled to herself, checking the clip. Still loaded.

Bracing herself, she faced the door. She realised her hand was shaking as she pushed it open. Another empty room. But this one was all too familiar. She felt her stomach churning, still unable to believe what was happening. It had to be a dream. Surely! The only way she knew to find out, was to continue on. The room was empty, like it usually was. A dirty and torn couch on one side, and a bench strewn with beer bottles on the other side. She could already see the large holographic map above the table in the next room. She now knew where she was, and knew she was safe. Somewhat. For now. She was at the Crimson Raided Headquarters.

She ventured further ahead, into the next room. Again, no one was around. She stood in front of the map, studying it more carefully than she ever had before. The holographic image flickered slightly, and she noticed the table emitted a faint humming noise. She listened carefully. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up when she heard the voices coming from downstairs. She walked hesitantly towards the stairwell, back through the two empty rooms. She paused at the top, and listen carefully. She made out one voice, her heart pounding in recognition.

"No way!" She said in a barely audible tone. Her mind began reeling at the possibilities. Her mind was jerked back to the present as she heard the second voice more clearly. She was startled to discover she also recognised _this_ person. But he wasn't from her beloved Pandora. This one she new from real life. He was like her. She gripped the handgun, now warmed by her sweaty palms. And without thinking twice, she bounded down the stairs, taking two at a time. She came to an abrupt stop when she reached the bottom. The two figures before her turned their heads in her direction. The tall and ragged Hunters expression hardly changed. But the shorter, paler man beside him almost fell over when he saw the woman. They stared at each other for a long moment, each unable to form words.

Finally, the other man mumbled

"Jo?"


	2. Chapter 2

Irish

'Irish? What the fuck is going on?' The familiar, yet strange women stepped towards him. He stammered and strutted for a moment before getting his words out.

"I don't know! I ally don't have a fucking clue! I thought I had just smoked too much, but now you're here... Is this realy real? I mean, how can we even be here?" Irish stopped talking when a large, black gloved hand appeared in front of his face.

"You better settle yourself down Amigo, unless you ar wanting me to stick you again" the hunter held up another insta-health syringe. Irish rubbed the so spot on his arm as he remembered the jab he was given in the not too distant past, when he almost collapsed in shock. He felt the slight colour tinting his face as Kitty studied him, still trying to comprehend the situation herself. Perhaps she was waiting for an explanation? Well, he couldn't give her one. He had not long woken up himself. Correction, he had been woken up, he remembered, by the all too familiar face of one of his favourite video games. He had come to the conclusion that he was just tripping something bad, when the Hunter had stuck him with the insta-health needle. Just the pain from the needle was enough to bring his mind to reason.

Before Kitty had interrupted, Irish had been questioning Mordecai as to what he was doing here on Pandora, after the Hunter had first confirmed that they were indeed on Pandora.

"Two is better than one. Or so Salvador would say" Mordecai looked towards Kitty, then continued as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

"Two?" Kitty stepped closer to Irish, and he noticed the weapon she held for the first time.

"There were supposed to be four of you, but I guess the fast travel network has hit the fritz again. We'll soon figure out where your other two comrades are" Mordecai shrugged. Irish glanced at Kitty, and he knew she was thinking the same things he was. Who were the other two players? It was all shaping up like a real life 4-player game of Borderlands. And both were so p-occupied with this thought that they only half took in the instructions the Hunter was giving them.

"Well it would make sense that it was her. The Tundra was her favourite map after all" Kitty said matter of factly, as she followed Irish through the snowy crevasse that led into the Tundra. Irish sighed. A part of him was really hoping that the 'comrade' Mordecai had sent them to rescue, would be her. But he never imagined meeting her under these circumstances.

"I'm not going to get my hopes up. It could be anyone. It could be Mike. It could be someone else from the forums. Shit, it could even be some random!"  
Kitty laughed.

"You talk to much Irish. It will be her, I know it will. I just have this feeling ok?" Kitty slowed her pace, slinking in closer to the ice wall for cover. They new a large colony of Varkid were just around the corner.

"Ok. But we seriously need to work out some sort of plan of attack here. I mean, are we gonna respawn if we die? What the hell happens there?" He couldn't help voicing his thoughts. After hours upon hours of online playing, when telling other players what you were thinking was a necessary communication, it was just habit that made him do so now. Kitty held her finger to her lips in a shushing motion, and pointed ahead to the swarm of a half dozen larval car kids that roamed aimlessly around a group of hives. There was no way around. Irish braced himself as the pair prepared to face their first enemy. He shouldered the Maliwan sniper rifle Mordecai had given him. It was a Volcano, and he smiled as he remembered the look of disbelief on Kitty's face as the hunter had handed him the legendary weapon. He knew the incendiary element would work well against the Varkids. He looked over to Kitty, who had her pistol raised. Se gave him a slight nod, and he took a deep breath.

The larval varkid let out a wailing screech as it erupted in flames. Irish let out the breath he was holding, when he realised his first shot had made its target. But the remainder of the creatures had turned their attention towards the pair, and were now scurrying at a fast pace towards them.

"They're out of my range!" Kitty shouted across to him as he reloaded.

"I know, I know!" He sensed the urgency in her tone. He fired again, missing his second mark, he cursed out loud.

"I'm gonna get a bit closer. Don't shoot me!" Kitty yelled as she jogged forward.

"Huh. A lot of faith I see" Irish said under his breath. Bt he shouldered his weapon again, and picked out another target. He didn't miss this time. 2 down, 4 to go, he counted. But now Kitty was just yards away from the creatures. She picked off the first one in a single shot. She darted to the left, firing repeatedly at the last three varkids who had clustered together. Irish watched through his scope, as one by one, the creatures fell under kitty's fire.

When he reached her, she was kicking the lifeless bugs, and scooping up ammo.

"Nice work" Irish panted. They stood for a moment, taking in there surrounds.

Suddenly, the ground shook beneath them, as the resounding boom of an explosion was heard in the distance. Kitty looked at Irish, eyes wide.

"Did that come from the farmhouse?" She asked hesitantly.

"Shit" he mumbled, "I think it did"

And together, they ventured off across the tundra.

They reached the checkpoint before the farmhouse. It emitted only a soft white glow. Not the usual red changing to green that they were accustomed to from the game. But they didn't have time to worry about that now. Because across the flats, assaulting the shanty falling down shack, was none other than the monstrous flying varkid, Vermivorous.  
Irish shouldered his rifle, wondering how the hell they would be able to defeat the enormous creature that towered over the farmhouse. Kitty was standing beside him, feeling helpless as she raised her pistol. The overgrown varkid was beyond her range.

"Wait!" She said, pointing her weapon at it "its almost dead already" Irish noticed she was right, but he let out a shot anyway, hitting the beast in the abdomen. It let out an ear piercing screech, and turned its attention towards the pair.

"Oh fuck" kitty cursed, raising her weapon again. But before it could take another step towards them, a ground shaking explosion blasted beneath its spindly legs.

And as the huge monster fell the the ground, the dust settled to reveal the person they had both been longing to see. Montayva.


	3. Chapter 3

Monyayva

She rubbed the grit from her face, and as she opened her eyes again, she saw the red headed woman running towards her, arms outstretched. As Kitty wrapped her in a welcoming hug, she let out a squeal of excitement.

"Oh my gawd! Are you guys really here? I thought that thing was going to eat me alive!" Monty gasped, still catching her breath as Irish caught up to them and wrapped his arms around them both. It took a few moments for the group to come to realisation.

"He was right! I was right! I told you Irish, I just had this feeling!" Kitty exclaimed, still gleaming at Monty with excitement. Under the taller woman's gaze, she realised the state she was in. Her black hair was now brown from the dust. She dusted and patted off her clothes as best she could, and the other two noticed the Tediore shotgun under Montys arm.

"Not bad" Irish said first, nodding towards the weapon.

"Well, it's the only thing I could find actually" she admitted " and this shield also" she turned her hips to reveal the shield she had managed to fasten to the back of her jeans. "But wait a minute... Who was right? Who told you I was here?" She asked Kitty, who could only manage a smug look in an effort to contain her grin.

"Oh damn, I knew this was gonna happen!" Irish rolled his eyes as he watched the girls exchange knowing glances.

"No way? You met him!? I'm sooooo jealous!" Monty sighed.

"Oh don't worry, I was so dumbstruck I didn't even hear half of what he was telling me. Way to make a good first impression" kitty joked, and they all laughed.

"Don't worry, I'm sure I would have been exactly the same" Monty admitted. But she couldn't believe it. Here on Pandora, with two of her closest friends. What a freaking adventure. Yet the same thought also terrified her. She had no idea how or why she (or they) where here to start with.

Montayva had woken up a few hours ago, in the basement of the farmhouse. She had known where she was instantly. The room was all too familiar to her after the hours apon hours she had spent, trying to get the fabled 'vermivorous' to spawn in the game. And when she ascended the ladder into the broken down hut that was all that remained of the farmhouse, she realised it was the first time she had ever hoped she wouldn't see the creature.

The first enemy she had encountered where a small group of bandits that had appeared from behind an old barn that was slightly up the hill from the farmhouse. But The bandits attention was quickly averted from her from a large group of flying varkid that colonised nearby. Montayva had hidden in the farmhouse while buzzards and bandits had fought the creatures. But after some time, a goopy, acid like substance had began seeping into her hideout, and she new the bandits had not succeeded in defeating the insects. When she chanced a peak out onto the open flats, she was horrified to see the enormous red and purple mother of all varkids hovering a short distance away. Luckily for her, it was almost dead, and none of the less evolved bugs remained alive. She had found the shotgun in the basement, but didn't have much ammo. She was surprised to learn that her Tediore weapon did indeed explode upon reloading, as per the actual game. She did not want to take her chances however, in finding out if she would respawn if things didn't go to plan.

But now the monster was dead. And Irish and Kitty were here with her. And they seemed to know a decent amount more than she did.

"So are you guys gonna tell me whats going on? Coz I literally woke up in the basement of that dump, and that's all I know" she said, after giving them a brief rundown of her encounter with the bandits and Vermivorous.

"Well, mission wise, we have been given an objective" kitty had left it to Irish to explain. "But the same pretty much happened to us, only we woke up in Sanctuary" he continued to explain how Kitty had joined him, and the brief info Mordecai had given them, and how he had sent them out to find the other two lost comrades after a glitche in the fast travel network. Neither could explain to her what they were doing on the alien planet to start with. But they all agreed to just go with it, and see what happened. After all, none of the trio could think of any explanation that would suit.

So after Kitty informed Monty that their last comrade had been detected in the slag ridden town of Fyrestone, the group set off.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The trio had been walking for hours. The only other enemy they had encountered so far were some more bandits on their way out of the Tundra and a rogue Bullymong. Irish had worked out how to use the catch-a-ride system, but they had not been able to enter the Arid Nexus in the vehicle. So it was back to walking for the time being.

"So, some sort of weird missions, then poof, back to our normal lives again?" Irish suggested, falling in behind Kitty and Monty as they made their way through the dusty plains of the Arid Nexus.

"Who knows? We know as much as you Irish. I just wish I knew what the go was with the respawn." Monty voiced the question at the forefront of all their minds. What would happen if they died?

"Did you notice the check point posts? They have a white light. Not green, not red. White. It's weird" Kitty added.

"Yeah I have no idea what that means" Irish shrugged. "Maybe once the fast travel is fixed, it will sort itself out"

They came to a stop at the entry way to the Badlands, where they would find the town of Fyrstone. Kitty paused to check an abandoned case for ammo, tossing two shotgun cartridges to Monty.

"Not gonna share with me?" Irish teased

"There's nothing in here for you," Kitty poked her tongue at him, and rejoined them at the gate.

"We ready to go find out who this last 'comrade' is?" Irish made exaggerated quotation marks with his fingers, and Monty rolled her eyes. "What? Don't you pair go ganging up on me"

"Pffft" was Kitty's only retort.

"I can't believe how bright that slag is in the sun" Monty raised her arm to shield her eyes from the glare coming off the slag swamp before them.

"Oh, it's so pretty but" Kitty coed.

"Trust you" Irish poked her in the ribs to hurry her along. "There should be some Skags just over here" Irish slowed his pace, and began looking around. They were almost at the entry into the town of Fyrstone, and standing in the shadow of the abandoned Hyperion building, they were able to see a lot better. Shielded from the glare, they were slightly confused by their surroundings. Kitty walked over to a nearby mound, to discover it was a dead elder Skag. No bullet wounds, just dead.

"This is interesting" Kitty pointed as Monty joined her.

"There's another over here too." Irish called from near the gate.

"And look, over there. The bandits and freakin little psycho midget" Monty held her breath as she walked cautiously toward the two human corpses. "These have bullet wounds though."

As Kitty and Irish joined Monty, a bright flash of purple from somewhere within the heart of Fyrstone caught their attention.

"What was that?" Irish wasn't expecting an answer when he voiced his question.

"Only one way to find out" Kitty lifted her pistol and headed into the town of Fyrstone, followed closely by Monty and Irish.

They had no sooner reached the malfunctioning Bounty board, and another flash of purple light appeared right behind them. Each were momentarily blinded, but as their sight returned to normal, they recognised another all too familiar face.

"Wassup kiddos? Sure took your time getting here" Lillith said in a flat tone.

"Fuck, no way. Lillith is our other player?" Irish was the only one to speak.

"Me? Bah, god no. But if I didn't show up, he would be dead by now." Lillith crossed her arms in front of her chest, flicking her head to shake her short red hair out of her face. Her spiralling blue siren markings shimmered surreally in the sun.

"Meh, I had it under control" the dirty figure stepped out of the shadows from near Marcus' vending machine.

"Joel?" Irish recognised the middle aged man before the two women did.

"Hey guys. Pretty fucked up shit going on here hey?" He walked over to join them, supposedly non-plussed by the scenario.

"Uh, yeah" Kitty frowned, not knowing what to think of the fourth member of their team.

"Whatever. I'm drunk. This isn't real" LiveFree lifted his assault rifle, firing a burst of bullets carelessly into the sky.

"Good luck with that one" Lillith muttered before disappearing in a haze of purple light once more.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Irish bought his palm up to his face as he groaned.

"Seriously dude?" He followed LiveFree around Fyrestone, as the intoxicated man shot up mailboxes, barrels and other inanimate objects.

"What? This feels so damn real" He exclaimed, tripping over an old pipe that jutted out of the dusty ground.

"That's because it is" Irish groaned.

"Yeah right. Whatever. I'm gonna wake up in the morning, with the fucking mother of all hang overs, probably won't remember a single thing"

"Hey! You guys wanna come and check this out? We got the bounty board powered up" Montayva called out to the pair from where she stood beside Kitty at the Fyrstone Bounty Board. They didn't bother waiting for the men as Irish struggled to muster Joel in the women's direction, snatching the assault rifle from the older mans grasp. Kitty checked the available mission. She read it out loud to Montayva.

"It's called 'Hunker Down'" she frowned

"That's different" Monty said, before pausing again to let Kitty finish

"'Search the abandoned town of Fyrestone for the vending machine power cores. Purchase a shield and supplies to get you through your first night on Pandora'"

"What?" Monty asked as Kitty looked up at her with a bemused expression.

"The mission is from Mordecai" the taller woman smiled.

"Oh!" Monty laughed

"Looks like you will get to meet him after all" the girls were having trouble containing themselves. But the moment was interrupted as Irish pushed LiveFree towards them.

"What does it say?" Irish asked the girls, reluctantly passing the Ornary Scarab back to an irritated LiveFree.

"We have to look around for the power cores for the vending machines. They should be here in Fyrestone somewhere" Kitty looked around the abandoned, falling down town. There wasn't much left. Bandits had pillaged what Hyperion hadn't destroyed in Jacks quest to awaken the Warrior.

"Shouldn't be too hard" Irish looked around him.

"Pfft, are you guys actually gonna do it?" LiveFree questioned. The other three glared at him incredulously. Kitty walked up to him, and snatched the pocket knife off his utility belt. She flicked open the blade, holding it up in front of his face. Irish went to step in, but Monty's hand on his shoulder made him rethink his decision.

Kitty pushed the point of the blade into LiveFrees shoulder. LiveFree didn't budge, only stared her in the eyes, and she held his gaze in return. She pressed harder, and harder, feeling the blade puncture his skin. But she didn't stop. She wouldn't stop. Not until she got the reaction she was after. She dug it deeper into his flesh, twisting the blade slightly.

"Argh!" LiveFree recoiled, stepping back. "Ok!"

"Did that feel real to you?" Kitty closed the knife and tossed it to his feet. LiveFree touched the wound on his shoulder, and when he examined his hand, found it red and wet with his own blood.

"Fine." LiveFree groaned in disgust. "I'll play along with your silly little game"

The four had made their way up into the old Hyperion Info Stockade building. After a quick search around Fyrestone, it was quickly revealed that anything the bandits had left was damaged beyond repair. They had met no resistance so far in the old town, so guessed that the sirens appearance earlier in the day had scared of any potential threats.

"Well, ladies first" LiveFree gestured, as they stood at the door to the bottom level of the Stockade. Kitty rolled her eyes, and together, she and Montayva raised their weapons and ventured forth.

"Big, brave men, letting us go first" Monty joked, when they had cleared the top floor. Aside from the banks of computer equipment and a few generators, all that remained was a lifeless Constructor bot on the eastern side of the building.

"To be honest, I feel safer checking it out myself" Kitty admitted "I still don't think LiveFrees taking this seriously. Poor Irish has his hands full there. He has more patience than me, that's all I can say" she was examining one of the generators, and found it still had suitable parts they could pilfer for their mission.

"So this is all from the second game?" LiveFree asked as they reached the top floor.

"Oh yeah, I keep forgetting you only had the first one" Monty said, as she joined Kitty. Irish remained at the top of the stairs, keeping lookout.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Well that wasn't so hard." Montayva smiled, joining Irish and LiveFree at the top of the stairwell where Kitty examined the power core she had just found.

"I..." Kitty began to speak as she stood at the edge of the lookout on the top floor, but was silenced by LiveFree.

"Shhh!" He snapped, raising his hand in emphasis.

"What the hell is that noise?" Irish said quietly as they all strained to hear. The dry Pandoran wind made a slight whistling as it pushed its way through the empty Hyperion outpost. But there was something else.

"Ah, guys!" Montayva was the first to notice.

The red central eye on the constructor bot began flickering. The barely audible buzzing noise they could here was caused by the robots system attempting to reboot itself as it detected its foes.

"Shit. Take cover!" Irish yelled, ducking down the staircase as the missile launcher on top of the constructor began to charge.

"Monty! Over here!" Kitty called, hiding behind a stack of crates in the corner. Montayva raised her shotgun and fired twice at the bot, hitting it square in the eye. A few small sparks flew, but the bot fired its heat seeking missiles regardless of the assault. Montayva threw the Tediore weapon at the bot as she reloaded, taking cover with Kitty before the explosion shook the building. Kitty was the first to peak over the crates.

"Stay down!" She yelled, ducking in time before being struck by the laser beam the bot conjured. Kitty checked her Ladyfinger. Fully loaded "you still have those couple of grenades?" Kitty asked Monty, who nodded her head. "we should throw those between your reloads, keep the explosions up to it. I'm gonna make a run for that ledge over there. I can get a better shot from there, plus one of us will still be able to shoot while it fires its laser"

"Good thinking!" Monty took two grenades and handed them to her friend. "Take these, in case I can't make the shot. Gives us both a chance" Kitty smiled her thanks, and set her focus on the ledge. "I'll cover you" Monty reassured. "Hey, girly." Monty grabbed the other woman by the hand "Good luck ok?" Kitty squeezed Monty's hand in return.

"You too" she waited for Monty's cover of bullets before she ran for the ledge.

Kitty through the first grenade as Monty let her 5 rounds loose on the bot. The building shook again, and for a moment Kitty worried about its integrity. Monty reloaded, throwing the gun, which exploded upon landing beneath the machine. The constructor let off another round of missiles and the girls both took cover. Surprisingly, they took neither woman for a target.

"The boys!" Kitty shouted over to Monty, "It must be after the boys" Monty threw one of her grenades, and it found its mark as Kitty fired as fast as her pistol would let her. Sparks flew, and the sound of broken circuits crackling and hissing could be heard. But the machine continued its assault.

"Fuck this for a joke!" Monty yelled, firing another round at the machine. Kitty was just about to toss her last grenade, when a burst of fire erupted on the bot.

"It must be Irish with his Volcano!" Kitty suggested, then threw her grenade. Monty reloaded, and threw the shotty just as the grenade exploded. The two explosions were followed by a third much larger one.

When everything had been quiet for a moment, the women emerged from their cover. The motionless bot lay in an unrecognisable lump of contorted steel.

"Well..." Monty breathed, standing beside her friend.

"We did it," Kitty laughed. "We actually killed that thing"

With their adrenaline still pumping, Kitty grabbed the power core for the vending machines, and they jogged off to find the boys.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Dusk was settling over the Badlands, and each member of the group was now equipped with a shield, and as much ammo as each could carry. They scavenged through hurried lockers, and overlooked chest for money and guns. Aside from a little extra cash, not much was left in Fyrestone.

"What the hell happened to this place? It used to be so - quaint" LiveFree asked as they milled around in front of the Bounty board.

"Well, it's hard to explain until you have played the second game" Irish started. " pretty much, the main bad guy in the second game built all this while he was looking for the second vault" Irish summarised, not really caring if LiveFree understood him or not. He was still kinda peeved from when LiveFree had told him earlier that the girls were hot on their heels as they ran from the constructor. Irish couldn't describe the relief he felt to see the girls emerge victorious.

"So are we gonna turn this mission in or what?" Kitty and Monty stood closest to the bounty board, both eager to turn in the mission.

"Go for it" LiveFree mumbled, plonking down on a nearby barrel.

When Kitty tried to turn in the mission, noting happened. She tried a second and third time.

"I don't get it" she said, and glanced over to see the other three watching her.

"Didn't it say we had to spend a night here?" Irish offered.

"It just said to be prepared for a night on Pandora" Montayva said "and we are prepared aren't we?"

"We don't have an adequate camp" LiveFree had his own suggestions to offer.

"We sure as hell won't make it back to Sanctuary before its pitch black" Kitty admitted.

"Well then let's make camp. See if that changes anything" Irish picked up his rifle, and began to scout for a decent spot to make camp.

"God I'm so freakin hungry!" LiveFree growled as they sat around a raging campfire. Monty and Kitty sat side by side on a piece of concrete pipe, both mesmerised by the flames. Night had now fallen, and the wind was beginning to get chilly.

"We should do this in shifts" Irish started " two on watch, two sleeping"

"Good idea. I'm fucked after that excitement earlier today" Monty stretched. The adrenaline rush she had experienced earlier had long worn off.

"Well me and Monty sleep first, then you guys wake us up in however many hours. Whenever you get tired or something" Kitty offered.

"Uh, I kinda thought we might do it as male-female pairs. And I totally don't mean anything by that!" He added hastily before anyone could say anything about his suggestion.

"No thanks. I'm not hunkering down in that tiny little dome hut either of you pair" Kitty laughed. Irish just shrugged, not bothering to argue with his friend. He quickly realised she made a fair remark.  
They had made secure a small dome building, which looked like it had been previously used as some sort of medical station. Kitty and Montayva had found some grimy old mattresses, and despite LiveFrees comments that he would rather sleep on the dirty floor, they dragged them in anyway.

"Well I bid thee goodnight then" Kitty started making her way towards the hut.

"Don't fall asleep and let us get eaten by Skaggs!" Monty warned, following Kitty to bed.

It had been just over an hour since the girls departed, and both the men were yawning already.  
"Fuck Pandora and its 90 hour day cycle bullshit" LiveFree complained. Irish groaned.

"Hangover has hit you hasn't it?"

"No. I feel ok. Just damn hungry. And tired. Now it's getting cold" LiveFree whined.

"Well think happy thoughts" Irish suggested. LiveFree just laughed

"Happy thoughts ey? So tell me Irish, whatever happened between you and Monty? Is that still, like, a thing?" The older man pried. Irish held his hand up to silence him "not going so peachey hey?"

"Shut up dammit, I heard something!" Irish hissed.

"Oh, very funny. If you didn't wanna talk about it just say 'Joel I don't..."

"Good thing I ain't a bandit. Or a hungry momma Skag lookin to feed er pups" the voice came from the darkness, beyond the reach of the fires light. Irish was first to his feet, snatching up his rifle as a figure approached.

"Put that down before you hurt yourself" the Hunter laughed, lifting a bottle to his lips and approaching the fire.

"Woah! Mordy? What the hell happened to the mask dude?" LiveFree stared blatantly at the Vault Hunter, who simply ignored the question. "Oh I get it. This is one of those 'oh you won't know what's going on coz you didn't get the second game' scenarios isn't it?" And once again LiveFrees question was left unanswered.

"I was getting a bit worried you might not make it through the night. So I bought some supplies" the hunter produced more bottles, handed one to Irish first, then reluctantly to LiveFree.

"Rakk ale?" Irish read the label.

"Hey, don't knock it till you try it. Packs a punch if you're not careful" Mordecai took another swig from his bottle. Irish took a mouthful from his own bottle, and cringed at the taste. "The ladies really took care of things today" Mordecai offered as a conversation starter.

"What? How do you know?" Irish asked in disbelief.

"I have eyes" he answered slighly. "Ha, I never was fond of the noobs. Guess I've gotten soft in my old age" Mordecai shrugged, taking another swig.

"Huh, don't tell the girls that" Irish mumbled. The three men sat in silence for a long moment.

"So," Mordecai began, stroking his beard as he thought over his words, "those ladies belong to either of you two?"

"Oh my god!" Irishs laughter was filled with disbelief. He sighed, running his fingers through his short dark hair. "Nope. You don't have to worry about either of us" he mumbled.

The Hunter drank the remainder from his bottle, and tossed his empty into the fire as he stood. Silently, he disappeared into the darkness again. The men had a pretty good idea where he was heading.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The pre light of dawn hung on the horizon, and Kitty and Montayva sat watching the embers of the campfire die. The surreal experience of spending a night on Pandora was mind numbing. The girls had taken over watch at around the middle of night. LiveFree had passed out by the fire after two of the Rakk ale Mordecai had given them.  
The sunrise was slow, prolonging the majestic beauty as the colours filtered through the derelict town, reflecting off the slag pools.

"So beautiful" Monty murmured, huddling closer to Kitty for warmth.

"Yeah, sure is" both girls jumped at the sound of the voice behind them. Mordecai stood, smirk across his face. "Not sure we're talking bout the same thing though"

Kitty felt the shiver run down her spine, and although she couldn't see his eyes through the goggles, she knew her and Montayva were being eyed. '_Damn this can't be happening'_ she thought to herself. Clearing her throat, she turned to Montayva.

"You wanna go and wake Irish up?" Kitty suggested. Monty stood, and as she passed the Hunter, Kitty realised just how tall he was. She hadn't given herself the chance to take in his full appearance. But as they waited for Montayva to return, she felt bold enough to eye him, as he was doing to her. He didn't appear quite as old or ragged as he did in the game. And his beard didn't seem as pointy and elfish. He stood with his arms crossed over his chest, his feet wide apart, making his stance seem rather cocky.

"Penny for your thoughts?" The Hunters head cocked sideways as he tried to decipher Kitty's expression. As much as she wanted to answer him, she just couldn't find the words. It was all still too surreal to believe. As the awkward silence lengthened, Kitty was relieved to see Montayva returning, with a sleepy Irish following close behind her. As Kitty and Montayva returned to their previous seat, Mordecai stuck his boot into the snoring form of LiveFree. The hungover man jumped up, grabbing at his assault rifle.

"Don't even think about it Amigo" Mordecai snatched the gun out of LiveFrees grasp before any damage could be done.

"Huh. We're still here ey?" LiveFree grumbled, rubbing his face.

"Did you expect to be somewhere else?" The hunter asked.

"My own bed, I guess" LiveFree shrugged, massaging his stiff neck.

"So what's the plan of action now?" Irish asked Mordecai, cutting LiveFree off, and still rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"First of all, we gotta get you all back to Sanctuary. There's a few people there you ought to meet. Get yourselves outfitted more appropriately for battle" Mordecai handed the weapon back to LiveFree.

"Can I meet Moxxi?" LiveFree asked eagerly, still not taking the situation seriously.

"Well, I don't see why not. But I'm not sure why you would wanna" Mordecai crossed his arms over his chest, not realising that LiveFree had not the slightest clue of anything that happened past the opening of the first vault.

"Well Lillith lived up to expectations, I just wanted to see if Moxxi was the same" LiveFree shrugged.

"Do I wanna know what that expectation is?" Irish asked cautiously.

"I'm just surprised you even remember meeting Lillith yesterday. Or _ANYTHING_ from yesterday for that matter. You were pretty hammered when we found you" Kitty pointed out.

"Lilliths a babe! As if I'ld forget" LiveFree exclaimed, a little offended by Kitty's statement.

"Ohhh kayy, lets get this show on the road ey?" Mordecai interjected before the conversation took a turn for the worse. "By the way bud, I wouldn't go mouthing off to Lil like that. She's likely to phase blast you for the fun of it" he directed towards the disgruntled LiveFree, who only scoffed at the Hunters advice.

As they gathered there few meagre belongings, the band of comrades followed Mordecai out of Fyrestone, and into the vast expanse of the Badlands.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

It was only a short walk to the catch a ride station. Mordecai had informed the group that they only needed to make it back to the Nexus, where they would be airlifted by Buzzard to the flying town of Sanctuary.

"I've got a few more things I need to see to, so I will meet you all back at the Crimson Raiders HQ" Mordecai handed a folded piece of paper to Irish. "Give this to the Buzzard pilot. It will grant you safe passage to Sanctuary"

Irish looked at the dirty piece of paper in his hand as the Hunter turned and left.

"What does it say?" LiveFree pushed past Kitty to snatch the note from Irishs' hand. Irish groaned in annoyance as LiveFree unfolded the note. "Huh" LiveFrees eyebrows raised as he read the note.

"Well..." Kitty prompted "are you gonna tell us what it says?"

"It just says '_Hey Slab. Don't kill the new slabs. Don't let anyone else kill the new Slabs either. We need them. Signed, The Slab King'_" LiveFrees features were riddled with confusion.

"It's Brick" Irish explained, snatching the note back. "Brick becomes the leader of a Bandit gang in the second game, and they refer to him as 'Slab King'. He calls all his comrades slabs. It's not an insult." He walked forward to the keypad at the Catch-a-Ride station, and poked at the keys. His customary yellow Runner digi-structed on the concrete pad in front of them.

"I guess we're gonna need two cars this time" Kitty looked around at their group. "I don't mind Monty sitting on my lap, but LiveFrees another story"

"Well, you girls got to pair up on watch last night, so I think it's only fair that we rotate partners around" Irish suggested, and both the girls glanced at each other before giving Irish a look that said _'in your dreams_.'

"Wait, I'm sensing that none of you wanna get stuck with me" LiveFree sulked like a 5 year old.

"I wonder why that is?" Monty asked the older man "you're acting like you don't think any of this is real. We don't know if we will respawn if we die, and I don't wanna be the one to test it either. Im sure these guys feel the same. Not to mention, Joel, last time we all spoke with you, you didn't exactly leave things on the best of terms" They knew Monty was referring to LiveFrees outburst on the forums, claiming the three of them to be 'fake' friends.

"Fine. Fine! I get it!" LiveFree began to rant. "None of you wanna put up with me because I'm a lonely old man"

"No, that's not it man" Irish cut in "we don't want you to get us killed with your carelessness." LiveFree sighed, then slowly began shaking his head as his hysterical laughter filled the air.

"Ok then," he began pacing back and forth in front of the other three, his assault rifle raised "the big question at the forefront of everyone's mind..." He glanced at each of them, to see if they were following his train of thought. _"Rrrrrre-spawn_!" He mimicked the automated voice which was heard in game as a player respawned.

"Dude, whatever your thinking..." Irish began, but was cut off by LiveFree.

"No no! I got this one Irish, no need to step up and be the hero. So lets find out shall we? See if we do respawn? I mean, who better to test this theory..." He raised his weapon again, the barrel pointing at each of the other three players in turn, before lifting the guns muzzle to beneath his own chin "than the grumpy old man who doesn't even believe any of this is even real"

"Wait! Joel! You're being ridiculous" Kitty tried to pursued him. But his mind was already set.

"See you losers on the other side" He saluted, and Irish lunged forward.

But he was too slow. There was a sickening splatter as a short burst of bullets emitted from the rifle. As LiveFrees lifeless body fell backwards, Irish stumbled atop of him, blood spraying his face and chest.

"Fuck!" Irish cried "oh my fucking God!" He gulped back the putrid taste of bile that rose in his throat, as he eyed the headless body beneath him. He clambered to his feet, wiping his bloodied hands on his jeans. Kitty and Monty stepped forward to stand beside Irish and witness what would happen.

But nothing happened. The spurting vein in LiveFrees neck slowed until it was dripping intermittently, but still his lifeless body remained.

"So..." Kitty gasped, still in shock "no respawn?"


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The pilot waited patiently for the three troops to awkwardly climb out of the buzzard as it hovered in front of Scooters garage. It had been a very solemn ride back to Sanctuary, and none had spoken much as they digested the newly found information. They were only glad they had been cautious to date, and hadnt found out the sorry fact for themselves.

They stood waiting in the open, watching the buzzard disappear into the distance once more. The wind whistled as it swept through the flying city, and aside from some commotion coming from inside Scooters garage, not much else could be heard.

"Well" Irish was the first to speak, breaking the solemn silence "I guess we need to find Mordecai" he turned towards the stairs that led to the more central part of the settlement.

"Hey!" A voice called to them as a figure emerged from Scooters. "I thought there was supposed to be four of you?" The blue haired Siren walked over to meet them.

"There was" Monty spoke, "but he wanted to test the respawn theory."

Maya pinched the brow of her nose as she received the news. She shook her head in disdain. "Survival of the fittest out here. And from what Lillith said earlier, I can't say I'm surprised to hear that. Good thing we are prepared for an instance like this."

"Yeah, he wasn't really taking things very seriously. Im kinda embarrassed to admit I'm relieved actually" Irish admitted. But they all knew that with LiveFree gone, they had better chances of surviving any tasks they were put to.

"We have plenty others waiting to fill his shoes anyhow. You wouldn't believe some of the fools we have lining up to be a 'Vault Hunter'. It's not all sunshine and rainbows" Maya told them.

"So someone is taking his place then?" Kitty asked.

"Yeah, but only someone worthy enough this time. Lets just say they are being put through their paces first. If they pass their test, then they have the option to join you three, if they still wish to do so." Maya turned, and beckoned the three to follow. "C'mon. Let me show you."

As they followed the Siren through Sanctuary, they were the recipients of a mixture of comments and glares projected from the locals.

"Moxxis?" Irish asked as they past Crazy Earls black Market.

"Yeah. She still runs most of the entertainment in this place. Although we've had a few new points of interest pop up lately" Maya led them through the bar, and they exited through a back door, which opened up to a staircase leading down. The faint cheering could be heard from below, as spectators alternated between cheers and boos.

As they descended the staircase the whole place shook with the vibrations from an explosion. The crowd was erupting into cheers as Maya opened a door that led them into a viewing booth. They were at another of Moxxis arenas, built below her bar. Although it was much smaller than anything else she had previously run, it still served as a suitable fighting arena.

"It seems we've missed the action" Maya shrugged, and the four of them stepped up to the glass pane to look down upon the arena, where a light haired kid stood in the centre. He was waving his arms at the cheering crowd, pumping his fist into the air to celebrate his victiry. A Mongol rested on the ground in front of him, scorch marks were scattered across the arena, burnt corpses amongst them.

"Is that Erick?" Monty peered down into the arena.

"Huh. You know, I think it is" Irish confirmed as kid turned towards them, picking up his Launcher and heading towards the arenas exit.

"They still have a few more to get through. Mordecai wants you guys back at the headquarters, get you all fitted up appropriately for battle" Maya smirked, looking Irish up and down. She left the three in the booth, and Irish looked himself up and down.

"Did she just scoff at me?" He asked the pair, who were on the verge of giggles themselves.

"Well, you are dressed kind of casual for Pandora" Kitty laughed.

"I didn't know I was gonna end up here! I might have dressed accordingly otherwise" he picked at his plain t-shirt and blue jeans, which were now blood splattered and dusty.

"Come on Irish. No time for a sulk. Lets go and find out what we've gotta do next" Monty grabbed him by the elbow, and marched him out the door after Kitty.


	11. Chapter 11

"I seriously don't know why I _ALWAYS_ get this job." Gaige sighed, tossing garments over her shoulder in search of a fresh shirt for Irish.

"You know, I'm just glad your voice doesn't sound as high pitched and annoying as it does in the game" Irish's comment came from left field. Gaige immediately turned and glared at him, shoving a black t-shirt at his chest. "Hey! I didn't mean any offence!" He said quickly, grabbing the shirt before it fell to the floor.

"Real smooth Irish" Kitty patted him on the shoulder as Gaige turned back to the closet, stuffing clothing back in.

"Well, I may as well wait for the other two before I pack all that away" Gaige sat on the edge of a single bunk, looking at the array of holsters, belts, hats, boots, armour and various other articles they had sorted though. Maya had handed over the job of dressing the new recruits to the Mechromancer, who was enjoying the task until Irish had made a few misinterpreted comments.

She hadn't done much to change Kitty and Montayvas appearance, only handing them each pistol holsters and small satchels in which they could carry more supplies. Montayva had secured her hair back underneath a bandana, and tried to convince Kitty to do the same, but with no success.

"I'll take the bandana, but I'm not wearing my hair up" she said stubbornly.

"But imagine all the blood and guts and dirt you're gonna get in there" Irish tried to persuade her also.

"The bandana will cover most of. I can't wear my hair up. Its too long. It will give me a headache" Kitty turned towards the mirror as she fastened the black bandana over her bright red hair.

"No point arguing with a woman about her hair" came a voice from behind them.

"You guys took your time!" Gaige said as Lilith led two more recruits through the door.

"Wait. There's gonna be five of us now?" Irish said. He eyed the two newest members of their team.

"Yep. The more the merrier" Lilith shrugged, still indifferent on the matter. It was understandable, especially after the scene LiveFree had made upon his arrival which the red haired siren had saved him from.

"Panda!" Montayva squealed, as Panda shuffled forward awkwardly. "What is that funny looking thing on your head?" They all eyed the odd looking beanie atop Pandas head. In true form, it was a black and white Panda head. A dead give away to his identity.

"Well come on in! We haven't got forever you know" Gaige waved at the last member of their team, who was still standing in the doorway.

"Haha, Erick." Irish guessed correctly. "Don't worry man, you won't do worse than me at rubbing her up the wrong way" Irish pointed over his shoulder with his thumb towards the Mechromancer. Erick seemed to be a little starstruck as he laid eyes for the first time on one of his biggest video game crushes. He slowly moved inside as Irish broke his trance, and smiled warmly as he greeted everyone.

"Guys, this is... Weird" he began, referring to their presence on Pandora.

"Oh yeah, we know don't worry" Kitty ushered him forward as Gaige began tossing over more holsters and armour for the boys.

"Ok kiddos, now you are a bit more appropriately dressed lets go and get you geared up, and plugged into the ECHO network" Lilith led them to the top floor of the Crimson Raiders HQ, to the main control room. She waited for them to assemble in front of the map, where Mordecai also stood waiting for them.

"Well, Ladies and..." He paused, eyeing the guys, "...boys. We need to get you hooked up to the ECHO system, so we can prompt you through your missions." He ignored the fowl look that Irish exchanged with Panda and Erick, and continued speaking. "The person I'm about to introduce you to will do her best to help you along the way. She has an eagle eye view of what's going on since we have hacked the Hyperion networks. Now that Angel is no longer, and Jack has been defeated, we have no one to deny us access to the intel that was left behind from Dahl and Huperion. Most of their Data will be outdated, but something tells me you mob are gonna need all the help you can get" Mordecai finished, placing his hands on his hips. His gaze was directed beyond the new recruits, and they turned to see Maya leading a pale skinned woman into the room. As she followed the blue haired siren to the map, Maya spoke

"So Mirror tells me she knows you guys..."


End file.
